DECIDE UPON YOUR TRUE GOALS Build Your Character First.(A)(IBD 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)

Byline: Robin Grugal

2When setting goals, make your first step an inner makeover, one aimed at building virtue and character.

It'll get you off on the right foot and help speed your way to the finish line of success. Benjamin Franklin tried it, and look where it got him.

Franklin was not born to a life of privilege. Nor did he have a formal education past age 10. Yet he reached amazing heights, remembered not just for his political skills and role in the American Revolution, but also for his scientific achievements and tremendous business success.

What sent him on this illustrious path, experts say, was less a plan of action tied to desired goals than a plan of behavior. From studying those he admired, he decided his first priority should be to build his character.

In 1723, after working seven years as an apprentice, first in his father's tallow shop and later in his brother's printing shop, Franklin struck out on his own at age 17. He left Boston, spending the next few years working and traveling. But he soon grew tired of living an unaccomplished life. That's when he decided, upon his return from a stint in London, to lay out a plan for his future.

Virtue Of Experimentation